New 2028 Rankings: Who Are The Top 10 Prospects?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We debuted our first 2028 rankings on Wednesday. Here's a breakdown of the top 10 players:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613284' first='George' last='Smith'], Robertson</strong>: A phenomenal two-sport athlete, Smith is the most dynamic young football player in the state. He's tall, fast, quick and elusive. As a freshman in 2024, Smith rushed for close to 700 yards and 12 TD, caught 34 passes for 759 yards and 9 TD, made 43 tackles on defense and returns kickoffs and punts. There isn't much he doesn't do for the Cardinals. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613280' first='Kashton' last='Ewen'], Hope Christian</strong>: The 6-foot-2 Ewen brings great size to the DE position for the Huskies. He proved very capable for wreaking havoc in opposing backfields in 2024 as he registered 15.0 tackles for loss and 10.0 sacks. He spends a lot of time around the football as seen by his 3 fumble recoveries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613703' first='Aiden' last='Gonzales'], Volcano Vista</strong>: Perhaps the most experienced young player in the state. He won a starting job as an 8^th-grader in Volcano Vista's secondary in 2023 and proved more than capable of holding his own. This past season, injuries slowed him for a time but he still enjoyed a solid campaign, Going into his sophomore season, he's already appeared in 19 varsity games with 3 INT and 58 solo tackles. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613398' first='Slade' last='Segovia'], Portales</strong>: Two-way standout for the Rams in 20214. Rushe for over 400 yards and 3 TD while making 64 tackles, 6.0 TFL and 5.0 sacks on defense. And he did all that in just 7 games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613352' first='Broden' last='Price'], Manzano</strong>: The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Price helped fuel Manzano's offense in 2024 with 27 receptions for 477 yards and 7 TD. Also averaged over 9.0 yards per rushing attempt. &nbsp;Potential to become a explosive WR and playmaker. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613370' first='Romeo' last='Jones'], Organ Mountain</strong>: Jones is one of a group of talented young players that are the centerpiece of Organ Mountain‘s revival. The Knights didn't make the 6A playoffs but the 2024 season offered encouragement. Jones rushed for 751 yards and 7 TD. Will he be a 1,000-yard rusher in 2025? &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613423' first='Brez' last='Tiller'], Laguna Acoma</strong>: Tiller played both ways for the Hawks, but he made his biggest impact on the defensive side as a productive linebacker as he made 66 tackles with 4.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 4 passes defended and 2 forced fumbles. He makes plays. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613382' first='Gad' last='Harris'], Sandia</strong>: If [player_tooltip player_id='1613284' first='George' last='Smith'] (see above) is the best young two-sport athlete in the state, Harris is arguably a close No. 2. He excelled on the gridiron this fall with 450 rushing yards and 7 TD along with 15 receptions. He's also a hoops standout for the Matadors. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Christian Morales, St. Pius X</strong>: Morales earned a Top 10 ranking with his impressive performance at last Saturday's PRZ Stock Up Showcase in Grants. Good speed and soft hands. He contributed to the SPX varsity as an 8^th-grader in 2023 with 15 receptions. He increased that total to 22 catches in 2024. Those numbers will keep going up as he plays a vital role in St. Pius X's talented young offense.      </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613367' first='Cash' last='Brewer'], La Cueva</strong>: The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Brewer played for St. Pius X as an 8^th-grader in 2023 and showed signs of turning into a very promising player. But he has transferred to La Cueva, so we should hear more about him in 2025. Listed on the 2024 La Cueva roster as a freshman tight end. Potential big-time player. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Freshman varsity season <br>2nd year SS/FS starter<br>All Academic <br>7 GP<br>22 solo tckls <br>5 asst tckls<br>27 tot. tckls<br>2 int<br>1 PBU<br>1 Fmb rec<br>T/G 3.9<br>(4 games missed due to injury)<br> <a href="https://twitter.com/vvhsfootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@vvhsfootball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachWallin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachWallin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/coachList13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coachList13</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachSitdikov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachSitdikov</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://t.co/gHDHa7ohNr">pic.twitter.com/gHDHa7ohNr</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1613703' first='Aiden' last='Gonzales'] (@aidengonzales0) <a href="https://twitter.com/aidengonzales0/status/1881182596962590956?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->